ned and foul with evil, and bound under the
chains of that which is the mother of all evil, the undue making
themselves the centres of their lives, can be washed and cleansed and
emancipated, and God be made the end and the aim, the motive and the
goal, the power and the reward, of all their work. Righteousness is a
gift to begin with, and it is a gift bestowed on condition of
'repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.' We all have
longings after purity, suppressed, dashed, contradicted a thousand times
in our lives day by day, but there they are; and the only way by which
they can be fully satisfied is when we go with our foul hands, empty as
well as foul, and lift them up to God, and say, 'Give what Thou
commandest, even the clean heart, and we shall be clean.'

But then, do not let us forget, either, that this gift bestowed not once
and for ever, but continuously if there be continuous desire, is to be
utilised, appropriated, worked into our characters, and worked out in
our lives, by our own efforts, as well as by our own faith. 'Having,
therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiniess of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
the Lord.' 'Every man that hath this' gift bestowed, 'purifieth
_himself_ even as He is pure.' He that brings to us the gift of
regeneration, by which we receive the new nature which is free from sin,
calls to each of us as He presents to us the basin with the cleansing
water, 'Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings; ...
cease to do evil, learn to do well.' 'What God hath joined together let
not man put asunder,' viz. the act of faith by which we receive, the act
of diligence by which we use, the purifying power.

II. Note how the pure heart sees God.

One is tempted to plunge into mystical depths when speaking upon such a
text as this, but I wish to resist the temptation now, and to deal with
it in a plain, practical fashion. Of course I need not remind you, or
do more than simply remind you, that the matter in question here is no
perception by sense of Him who is invisible, nor is it, either, an
adequate and direct knowledge and comprehension of Him who is infinite,
and whom a man can no more comprehend than he can stretch his short arms
round the flaming orb of the central sun. But still, there is a relation
to God possible for sinful men when they have been purified through the
faith that is in Jes